Surround yourself with unlimited and uninspiring challenge!
Before there was Slither.io on iPad, and before there was Snake on Nokia phones, there was Surround on Atari 2600. In fact, there were precursors to Surround in the arcade. And before that, people just threw snakes at each other.
In Surround, you must circle around your opponent, avoiding them. You want them to run into your trail (or tail?), therefore earning you a point and getting you one thankful step closer to ending the game.
As with many Atari games, Surround features a plethora of variations such as speed, movement, and whatever.
I liked the Video Graffiti version, where you can "draw" on the screen with blocks and lines. You only get one color, though, but I worked around this as I designed a Poppy Playtime character with a checkered background for my son's amusement. Then disaster struck. Just like Surround, and many other Atari games, Video Graffiti is apparently set to a 2:16 time limit. The screen froze and my picture went unfinished. This is sad, because Video Graffiti could have been fun for creative kids forty-some years ago. Especially if they added multiple colors, to create a rudimentary Art Alive or Mario Paint.
As for Surround, this is one of those original late '70s Atari games that hasn't aged well (see previous title Star Ship for another example). My kids enjoy Slither.io, which I admit is far more engaging. One look at Surround was enough for them to shake their heads and go back to the tablet.
I recall playing Snake on cell phones in the early 2000s, but I don't recall ever enjoying it.
There are better original 1977 games for two players, such as Combat or Video Olympics. The graphics in Surround make Star Ship look next-gen. I believe many people enjoyed Surround upon its release, but the gameplay has not survived. It's kind of amazing that the movie Tron is based on Surround's simple concept.
Final Surround review:
Some may want to check out Surround since it was an original release date game, and others may find nostalgia where I find none. Otherwise, I recommend Surround for Atari collectors only.
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